“Described by writer Kelly Loughlin as a “semi-rural folk horror,” The Watchers may feature the earliest depiction of an alien abduction in British cinema. Filmed around the moors of Todmorden by RCA students in 1969 and directed by Richard ‘Dick’ Foster, the film weaves together themes and stylistic elements that would later become hallmarks of British folk horror — as seen in works like Nigel Kneale’s Beasts (1976), David Rudkin’s Penda’s Fen (1974), and Alan Garner’s Red Shift (1979).
Yet, despite its thematic resonance and creative achievements, The Watchers remains a largely overlooked gem — standing shoulder to shoulder with these classics, but still waiting to be fully acknowledged…” | Read more of this article in The Quietus